A Timeline of Media
2000 B.C. — 1500 B.C.
Spoken Language Era
Phonetic alphabet begins to appear around 1500 B.C.
1500 B.C. — 1450
Writing Era
Gutenberg’s press appears in the 1450’s
Justin Martyr writes First Apology
150
Justin Martyr writes his First Apology, advancing Christian efforts to address competing philosophies
Council of Nicea
325
The Council of Nicea addresses debates perplexing the Church and defines the doctrine of who Jesus really was.
Wycliffe translation of the Bible
380
Wycliffe is exiled from Oxford but oversees a translation of the Bible into English. He is later hailed as the “Morning star of the Reformation.”
Mass Media Era (Print)
1450–1840
Visual, Audio and Electronic Media: Telegraph and photography appear around the 1840’s, followed by the telephone, phonograph and motion pictures in the last 25 years of the 19th century, radio in the 1920s and television in the 1950’s.
Gutenberg Bible
1456
Johann Gutenberg produces the first printed Bible, and his press becomes a means for dissemination new ideas, catalyzing changes in politics and theology.
Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
1517
Martin Luther posts his ninety-five theses, a simple invitation for scholarly debate that inadvertently becomes a “hinge of history.
Calvin’s Institutes
1536
John Calvin publishes The Institutes of the Christian Religion, the most substantial theological work of the Reformation
Mayflower Compact
1620
Pilgrims coming to America sign the Mayflower Compact and commit themselves to seek the public good, uphold group solidarity and forsake self-seeking.
The Great Awakening Begins
1735
Great Awakening under Jonathan Edwards stirs the American colonies with many conversions and individual returns to heartfelt faith.
Samuel Morse develops the Morse code.
1835
1840–1970
Mass Media Era (Electronic)
Samuel Morse builds the first long distance electric telegraph line.
1843
Moody is Converted
1855
Dwight L. Moody is converted. He goes on to become one of the most effective American evangelists.
Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson exhibit an electric telephone in Boston.
1876
The Institute Tie
1891
A biweekly publication by former students to document the goings on of the Moody Bible Institute, begins.
The Bible Institute Colportage Association is founded by Mr. Moody
1894
The Institute Tie
1900
Now published by Moody Bible Institute as a copyrighted monthly magazine
The Beginning of Radio
1901
Guglielmo Marconi transmits radio signals from Cornwall to Newfoundland.
MBI’s Institute Tie becomes The Christian Workers Magazine
1901
Moody Monthly
1920
The Christian Workers Magazine becomes The Moody Monthly
Early Radio
1920
Radio station KDKA based in Pittsburgh began the first broadcast.
Colportage Department Distribution
1922
BICA (Colportage Department) begins supplying books free of charge to schools.
The Beginning of Television
1925
John Logie Baird transmits the first television signal.
WMBI, Moody’s first radio station, goes on the air
1926
WMBI goes on the air via its new 5,000 watt transmitter at Addison
1928
First Radio Broadcasting course offered at Moody Bible Institute
1939
The Bible Institute Colportage Association becomes Moody Publishers
1941
WMBI has its first full day of programing
1941
Moody begins FM radio broadcasts
1943
Bonhoeffer is Martyred
1945
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is executed by the Nazis. The German pastor is killed just days before the Allies arrive to liberate that region. His theological writings remain influential.
Moody Institute of Science Films launched
1946
*fun fact: Moody Science films were the first to capture time-lapse photography on film.
Moody Publishers
1947
BICA starts a program to assist in the creation of literature on foreign soils by partnering with various missions
The Beginnings of Cell Phones
1947
Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young of Bell Labs propose a cell-based approach which led to “cellular phones.”
Moody Missionary Technical Course created
1949
Moody Missionary Technical Course created. The first of its kind, its purpose was to prepare specialists who could utilize skills in mission field operations in the areas of aeronautics, radio communication, and photography
Two new majors offered at Moody
1954
Two new majors offered at Moody: aviation flight and mechanics; radio and communications
Moody Science Classics
1957
MIS is the first ever to record the beating and working of the human heart in its film Red River of Life, a huge scientific discovery
Moody Literature Mission
1957
Colportage Department renamed the Moody Literature Mission
Moody Radio Expansion
1958
MBI purchased WCRF in Cleveland, Ohio and shortly thereafter, WDLM in Moline, Illi. These purchases were the catalyst for a network that would grow to include 35 stations in the continental U.S.
The First Voice Transmission from the First Communications Satellite
December 19, 1958
On December 19, 1958 President Eisenhower’s brief Christmas greeting was transmitted from the Project SCORE(Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment) satellite. This was the first voice transmission from the world’s first communications satellite. Eisenhower said: “This is the President of the United States speaking. Through the marvels of scientific advance, my voice is coming to you from a satellite traveling in outer space. My message is a simple one: Through this unique means I convey to you and all mankind, America’s wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere.”
Moody Literature Mission begins a distribution program for public libraries
1959
Moody Science Classics
1962
MIS Sermons from Science exhibit at the Seattle’s World Fair
MLK Marches on Washington
1963
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, leads a march on Washington espousing the teachings of Jesus in a civil rights movement that affects all American.
First geosynchronous communications satellite is launched, 17 years after Arthur C. Clarke’s article.
1963
Email Begins
1965
Though its exact history is murky, email began as a way for users on time-sharing mainframe computers to communicate.
1970–2014
Digital Media Era
The personal computer (PC) market is born.
1976
Moody Radio begins satellite-feed broadcasting system
1982
The First Cellular Telephone Service in the United Sates
December 16, 1982
The Federal Communications Commission authorized American Telephone and Telegraph to build a commercial cellular telephone service in Chicago. This was the beginning of commercial cellular service in the United States.
Neil Papworth sends the first SMS (or text message).
1992
Internet radio broadcasting is born.
1994
Telecommunications Act
1996
President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law on February 8, 1996. It represented the beginning of a new era in telecommunications regulation in the United States
More Email is Sent than Paper Mail
1996
1996 was the first year in which more email was sent than paper mail in the United States.
2000–2014
New Media Revolution Era
Apple launches the iTunes Music Store
2003
Apple launches the iTunes Music Store and sells one million songs in its first week.
MySpace is launched.
2003
Facebook is launched
2004
What would become the largest social networking site in the world, Facebook is launched.
All Moody stations streaming signal worldwide
2005
YouTube.
2005
YouTube, the video sharing site is launched.
Urbanization
2007
As of 2007, a majority of people now live in cities
Cell Phones Are Now Used More for Data than Speech
May 13, 2010
According to The New York Times, in May 2010 people were using their cell phones more for text messaging and data-processing than for speech. This should not come as a surprise to anyone with teen-age children.
Moody Media Lab introduced
2011
Nearly 50% of U.S. Mobile Subscribers Own Smartphones
March 29, 2012
According to a Nielsen report accessed on March 29, 2012, 49.7 percent of mobile subscribers owned smartphones as of February, 2012, an increase from 36 percent a year ago. Two-thirds of those who got a new phone in the last three months chose a smartphone over a feature phone. Android-based phones led the U.S. smartphone market with a 48 percent share, Apple’s iPhone had 32 percent, and BlackBerry had 11.6 percent.
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